Cargo traffic on Northern Sea Route goes up by 1.2 million tons in 2015

Cargo traffic along theNorthern Sea Route increased by 1.2 million tons to reach 5.1 million tons in 2015, reported Deputy Head of the Northern Sea Route Administration Nikolai Monko at the fifth international forum "The Arctic: Present and Future."

"Several dozen more ships navigated the waters of the Northern Sea Route compared to 2014. They include Chinese vessels that plan to operate there on a regular basis," TASS quoted him as saying. This year Monko's office issued permits for navigation along the Northern Sea Route to 697 ships, including 124 foreign vessels.

Oleg Roi, head of the Northern Sea Route Department at the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, said the assignment for drafting a concept of the route's development has already been prepared. He said his office plans to hold a tender before the end of the year and sign a contract next January.